GABIT attendees thread

[Celandine]

I scraped a decent paying job to go back to school and do what I love to do. Helping people. The pay is not anything like what I used to get working at the casino and I found to make ends meet and keep me financially where I wanted to be, I had to pick up a second job in the same field. I love what I do tremendously, but long days and six-day work weeks get very tiring. Point to all this rambling is that I have to be very picky where and what I spend my money on being that I work too darn hard for it and have to save like crazy for anything. I love helping out S4K and HDFTD because I know what money I do give will be used to the fullest and I see actual results. That to me is the most important consideration when I give.

[Chelle DB]

Exactly!
One of my uncles did some work for the Salvos & for the RSPCA and what he saw shocked him. We never donated to those charities again.
The Royal Childrens Hospital appeal raises so much money every year yet when you go to the hospital it's like walking into a third world hospital with holes in the walls that look like they were used as target practice. It's dark & dismal and the one thing the kids loved, they tried to take away from them...but failed...never take Macca's away from the kiddies! They did revolt!!

[Chelle DB]

I just want to help people who can't help themselves, or need help other than just financial assistance. Like holding an elderly persons hand and listening to them coz all they want is someone to talk to. Or reading to a child who needs that little bit of human affection that he/she doesn't get at home or school. Or giving blankets to the small local animal shelter so they can use their resources on other thigns like medication & food for the animals.
That's all I want to do.

[Celandine]

Chelle, you so need to get into the healthcare field. It's really your true calling. I've heard about your times away from the laundry when you were spending time with the seniors in your facility. Your posts then were so vibrant and full of life. You literally sparkled. Have you ever thought of being a CNA or even, at the very least, volunteering to help out in a facility on the odd afternoon you have to spare? They love volunteers! If you love it as much as I know you do, you would certainly continue to make a huge difference in others lives.

[Chelle DB]

Yeah, I thought about being a PCA but then I saw how that works so now I want to get into another area where I can work with the elderly but not nursing. I don't want to be like that. I don't want to be told I can't hold their hand or go to them when they call out...there's too many rules...some that make no sense at all...much like when I volunteered at the school...I don't feel comfortable with what we can't do as a nurse.
So I want to do what I did when I was on light duties. It's in the works but will take time.
And yes, I sparkled when I worked in that area. Thank you Cel.

[ames]

I recently read an article that said charitable giving is down about 13% in the US - mainly from the wealthier people. The poor still donate no matter what. Strange isn't it. If you don't have a lot you are still willing to share. If you have more than most, you hoard it more!

We've discovered that at our church as well - anytime they ask people to give a little more, the people who are already giving find a way to eek out a bit more ... yet the people with disposable funds available seem to feel the message isn't aimed at them. To be fair, as a congregation we're awesome at drives for a particular purpose, it's more the weekly donations for the upkeep of the property and the like that we see this phenomena ...those who have little will give even more, while those with lots will often not.

I am glad that I've gotten an S4K hoodie now, as it does cause queries ... and I've discovered talking about S4K and their work improves my mood immensely in addition to raising awareness

[Nolamom]

One site that I found very informative about charitable giving in general is Charity Navigator. They point out that it's better to concentrate your giving to one or two charities than to try to spread it around too much. You actually do more good that way, and you wind up with fewer wasted solicitations (which cost the charities money). They have lots of great tips about giving - like never give to a phone solicitation since a huge portion of that goes to the paid solicitor, instead give directly to the charity if it's one you support. What to look for in a responsible charity. Inefficient charities. Overpaid CEO charities.

S4K isn't list,(they say that most will not be) but it fits all the criteria for an excellent charity.

[mthet]

You can get most of the info you need over here from the Charity Commission - and most organisations have to publish their accounts too. So if you really want to do your homework you can figure out exactly where the drains are;-)

I've worked for a few of the biggies: Oxfam, the Red Cross and Action Aid - and I don't actually give cash to any of them now - although I do still donate goods directly to some of their shops because because I know what the people running them are paid and that their isn't any 'waste' there.

Two of my friends run small charities and spend NOTHING on administration/ costs. They do it all for free, get their venues for free, and anything they can't avoid paying for they cover themselves.

One of them is one that I've mentioned before, she flies stuff out to India and takes it directly to where it needs to be - we get extra baggage allowance from the airlines, and avoid any of the corruption that India is famous for.
The bonus being the look and smile on a kids face when you put something as simple as a pair of socks directly into their open hands...

The other one organises events and things for the elderly and vulnerable people in our community. No overheads at all.

I am fully in favour of the do it yourself approach. And as a general rule I prefer smaller groups/ organisations.

That said, I have no problem with ANYBODY who chooses not to give anything to ANY charity. It is their choice. I've seen people be lambasted on the internet for not donating and it's horrible.
It's a personal choice and not everyone has the same values/ opinions. I think the negative karma of the act of calling them 'mean' ruins the positive effect of your giving.

[mthet]

And don't laugh at my HORRIFIC typos either!

[Skydiver]

People give in their own way, and honestly, I think some of the 'you must donate' pressure helps to contribute to the 'bad' charities...ones where most of the money goes to pay staff and little goes to the charity. the pressure to donate leads people to just tossing money at a recipient so encourages the 'tricksters' to pop up and take advantage of it.

IMHO, every charity should have to account for every penny, and make those accounting publicly accessible, as in on their web page, in plain english. (Honestly I think every politician should have to do the same, but that's wayyy off topic)

[mthet]

There was a guy walking around Dragon Con with a single sheet of printed A4 paper claiming to be taking donations for a Womens' Charity.

People were actually handing him bills and they literally went straight in his back pocket. I wanted to yell at them that they were being had Lol

- Politicians - do you have the equivalent of Parliamentary Privilege in the US?

[SamJackShipLover]

Tx for this discussion as it is a reminder to me that I need to check my charities again. A while ago I stopped most of them and focused on S4K, but now I again donate to a couple more and I just know that funds isn't going where it is supposed to go ... need to look into that ... *goes to find a Dutch charity website*

Anyone know of a animal charity that is good? Like S4k? I now donate to WWF, but according to my family, that's not the smart thing to do.

And I have to say .. donating to charity really doesn't seem like a big thing over here. People don't talk about it and if they do, it's all about how the high people get all the money ... hence, don't give. Also things like giving your kids old toys, or food etc to charity is difficult ... hard to even find where you can go actually.

[EH-T]

One site that I found very informative about charitable giving in general is Charity Navigator. They point out that it's better to concentrate your giving to one or two charities than to try to spread it around too much. You actually do more good that way, and you wind up with fewer wasted solicitations (which cost the charities money). They have lots of great tips about giving - like never give to a phone solicitation since a huge portion of that goes to the paid solicitor, instead give directly to the charity if it's one you support. What to look for in a responsible charity. Inefficient charities. Overpaid CEO charities.

S4K isn't list,(they say that most will not be) but it fits all the criteria for an excellent charity.

S4K would not be listed. They are not a registered charity but a foundation.

Keep in mind that S4K gives money to charitable organizations, some small and local and some, such as Save the Children, to deal with things like the natural disasters. Certainly a portion of the money going to STC would be used for administrative costs. It is a fact of life that most charities will have admin costs and part of your donation goes there. However, it does help to be informed so you are sure that it is only a small percentage. Essentially, that is part of what S4K is doing, they are vetting the charity for us.

Also keep in mind that the method of giving has an impact. For example, if you donate to a telephone solicitor here, a good chunk of the money goes to the company doing the soliciting. Better to give directly to the charity.

Also, Mayo, have to disagree with the point of not donating to charity. I would never be mean to an individual who doesn't give but I would point out that, IMHO, it is our obligation to give. Again, if someone does not have the money then they can volunteer time. We are all members of the same community and we should help one another.

[ames]

Tx for this discussion as it is a reminder to me that I need to check my charities again. A while ago I stopped most of them and focused on S4K, but now I again donate to a couple more and I just know that funds isn't going where it is supposed to go ... need to look into that ... *goes to find a Dutch charity website*

Anyone know of a animal charity that is good? Like S4k? I now donate to WWF, but according to my family, that's not the smart thing to do.

And I have to say .. donating to charity really doesn't seem like a big thing over here. People don't talk about it and if they do, it's all about how the high people get all the money ... hence, don't give. Also things like giving your kids old toys, or food etc to charity is difficult ... hard to even find where you can go actually.

We have a great shop in town called "Once Upon a Child" that deals solely in gently used clothing, toys, and accessories for babies, toddlers, and young children. A goodly portion of my nephews' clothes come from there, as well as the playpen and highchair we keep here for when they visit. Most of my sister's friends seem to have daughters, so passing along the clothing that way doesn't really work, unfortunately... Once my younger nephew grows out of the clothes, my sister heads down and 'resells' them to the shop again so someone else can purchase them ... and I'm talking onesies for a dollar, as opposed to the mind-boggling prices you are expected to pay for brand-new stuff in the larger chains. Considering how quickly my nephews are growing, it's a great cost-saver!

@Mayo - I know what you mean about how working for a charity opens your eyes to where the funds are actually going ... I used to work for a charity here in Ontario. The charity itself did laudable things with the funds they received - the problem was in how they got it. They had a contract with Value Village, a used clothing chain. We would go and pick up donations for VV, and they would pay us a flat rate based on the number of donations brought in. Not a portion of what they were reselling the donations for ... so sometimes I'm sure it worked in the charity's favour, but more often than not, it very didn't. For example, a single garbage bag of 'stuff', unopened, was worth say $8. However in that bag could reasonably be 6 prs of jeans that VV would then sell for $10/pr ... netting them $52 of profit. Yes, it helped those on lower incomes in the community, and yes, the charity did receive something even if the bag had absolutely nothing in it that was resellable, but... I still don't like it.

I guess there isn't really a perfect way to go about it, so the best we can do is find a charity/ies that work in a manner that suits our personal beliefs. Yet another reason I like S4K - I trust them.

[SWMBOTGSG]

Tx for this discussion as it is a reminder to me that I need to check my charities again. A while ago I stopped most of them and focused on S4K, but now I again donate to a couple more and I just know that funds isn't going where it is supposed to go ... need to look into that ... *goes to find a Dutch charity website*

Anyone know of a animal charity that is good? Like S4k? I now donate to WWF, but according to my family, that's not the smart thing to do.

And I have to say .. donating to charity really doesn't seem like a big thing over here. People don't talk about it and if they do, it's all about how the high people get all the money ... hence, don't give. Also things like giving your kids old toys, or food etc to charity is difficult ... hard to even find where you can go actually.

A good way to know where your money is going is to support something local. You asked about animals. We have a charity locally that takes in horses and ponies that have been abandoned (through the owners not being able to afford to keep them now) or have been mis-treated. They literally live from hand to mouth, struggling to buy fodder for winter feeding. I send a cheque directly to them and they buy hay. Most of the staff are volunteers and so very little goes in admin.

Clothing goes to a local homeless charity who distribute it directly to those who need it, and what is not suitable will be sold on raising funds for food and accommodation. Furniture goes to another place who give it to folk who have been flooded out or have lost everything in a fire.

They started a new lottery here in the UK recently. They say that the money goes to buy equipment for hospitals like scanners etc. What they didn't say was that 20p in each £1 goes to purchasing the equipment , the rest goes in admin. I stopped doing the original lottery because of the cash/admin ratio was so low.

This is why I stick to S4K and HD. I know where my money is going. I'm a pensioner, so I make sure there's value in what I can give.

Mumsey